Fee Schedule, MPPR Calculators Updated

APTA recently updated its Medicare physician fee schedule and its multiple procedure payment reduction (MPPR) calculators to determine payment amounts under Medicare for January and February to reflect the 2-month extension of the fee schedule update and other Medicare provisions signed into law December 23, 2011.

If Congress does not take action by February 29, a 27.4% payment cut will go into effect. Sign up today for PTeam to receive the latest news on legislation to fix the Sustainable Growth Rate and extend the therapy cap exceptions process, which also expires February 29.

Comments

Thank you!

Posted by Walt Abbey
on 1/13/2012 2:35 PM

I would be willing to take a 27.4% cut in reimbursement rates if all government employees, including congress, would be willing to take a 27.4% cut in their salaries. If we are going to share in this debt crisis that congress created, let's share and share alike. If congress is not willing to make the personal sacrifices that they are asking of the medical providers, the threat of this payment cut needs to be permanently done away with. Medical providers need to let their congress people know their feelings on this potential cut. As a whole, I believe we have been to quiet, too long. It is time to let our voices be heard.

Posted by Chris Z
on 1/14/2012 10:23 AM

Well said. Couldn't agree more. Congress bailed out Wall Street and GM but we have to take an enormous cut. Let Congress have some "skin in the game." They should not be exempt from any laws, rules, regs, etc. that they pass for the rest of America.
Larry Greenberg, PT, MS, M.Ed.

Posted by Laurence Greenberg -> @NT`
on 1/14/2012 11:48 AM

Chris I like what you have to say. Thats one angel...
I think the permanent solution to the problem may at first be difficult, but in the end cause Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists less pain and future efforts to secure our outpatient careers. Obviously the cap issue needs to be dealt with, but that isn't the biggest problem. If we could spend less time lobbying for cuts in the "Physician Fee Schedule" (PTS) we could spend more time and money lobbying for fixing the cap and dealing with the overall reformation that is under way.
First of all the cuts in the PTS is not due to rehab. I'm not sure what our overall slice of the pie is, but we are just a fraction of the billions of Part B spent. If we can get out CPT codes removed from the PTS and the future ICD10 codes relating to rehabilitative ancillary services we may have a chance at effectively lobbying to eliminate the cap. We need a separate fee schedule for our services. This could then allow us to be looked at differently by the general community and congress. Why should we always take the hit, when the problem is more heavily a physician billing issue? We need to make a clear distinction, not only in the services we provide, but our billing methods. This will show America that our services are cost effective and save future tax dollars. We can't do that when we are grouped together with the money eating physicians. They make the honest physicians look bad and then we get lumped in there too...

Posted by Trevor D
on 1/14/2012 12:11 PM

What purpose does an extension of the cap serve if medicare is just going to continue doing these prepay/postpay audits and deny services anyway. It is ridiculous that a cap for the population that need our services the most is so unjustly low and inadequate. I would even take a 27.4% cut if the other insurances would actually pay the fair market value for our services; which they never will.

Posted by Anthony B
on 1/14/2012 12:13 PM

There will always be "bad apples" in the barrels by which we are all judged. The only way to demonstrate our value is by our documented outcomes. We do great work, we get great results but we can't document worth a hill of beans to demonstrate our worth. Until we as a profession begin to take our documentation seriously, we will only be judged by what we produce on the paper (written or electronic). Take a moment to read what you've written and ask yourself if you'd write a check to yourself for the skilled, compelling note you just wrote.